PITTSBURGHCarnegie Mellon University and its School of Design will present the Nierenberg Lecture in Design at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 26 in the Adamson Wing of Baker Hall on the Carnegie Mellon campus. Patrick Jordan, the 2001 - 2002 Nierenberg Chair of Design will discuss "Lifestyle Supertrends: Building the Brand through Design and Marketing."

The presentation focuses on eight lifestyle trends impacting society and their implications for design and marketing in today's economy. Jordan will explain why "an understanding of trends is essential to building robust, successful brands and creating products and services that will delight customers."

Jordan is an international design and marketing consultant, recognized scholar and practitioner in design research, author and professional speaker. His theories and methodologies have influenced the design and marketing of many of the products that we find in our homes, cities and workplaces.

He is founder and president of the Contemporary Trends Institute, an international trend and branding consulting firm. He is also vice president and head of design at Symbian, a joint mobile communications consortium in London, England.

Formerly, Jordan was head of human factors and director of the Trends and Identity Unit at Philips Electronics.

Carnegie Mellon's Nierenberg Chair of Design in the School of Design is considered to be one of the most important and prestigious appointments in design education in the United States. The chair provides an opportunity for innovators in the field to share their knowledge with the school's students and faculty.

The Nierenberg Chair of Design is a visiting professorship established through the generosity of Mr. Theodore D. Nierenberg, one of the founders of Dansk International Designs, an alumnus and emeritus life trustee of Carnegie Mellon.